I think the secret to life is presence. Yesterday, while zipping into town to grab some food, I found myself listening to a passionate lawyer on NPR talking about the opioid crisis that is afflicting the United States. Just now, I was pulled into presence by my fire alarm, which decided to go off for the second time today. There is no fire, aside from the light that burns within. The alarm, a mere reminder to stop and be present with it.

I call it stepping into the heart-space. All it takes is a breath. All it requires is the intention. The focus of the mind returns to the center and the light within that is recognized as a wavelength connecting all.

As I sat in presence, feeling the energy course through my being, my mind compared it to a drug. Mind you, in the interest of full disclosure, I have never tried an illegal substance in this lifetime. I haven’t even smoked a cigarette unless you count second-hand smoking, but I have this stubborn belief that the drive to get high from a drug would disappear if we all learned presence. With one conscious breath, we are there. No pill. No injection. Just breath and intention. You don’t need to be a guru. You don’t need to hire one.  You simply need to surrender and trust. To let go the restraint of the mind. The secret, you see, is already within you.